Teenagers are Terrifying
by quoththeraven5
Summary: After an explosion, Batman is turned into a teenager, what started as a sucky day, became a really really sucky day. The League has just discovered their new nightmare, teenBat! Puberty and Bats do not mix Warning! mood swings and mild language! Later chapters are rated 'T' due more serious and angsty content.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first batman fan fiction, so any suggestions would be appreciated! **

He stood in the shadows, calculating the best possible moment to take down their adversary. He would have preferred to not be dragged into the League's business but he was not in the mood to deal with an annoyingly perky Clark Kent. Thinking his dark and brooding thoughts while simultaneously finding his perfect moment to strike, he came to the conclusion that this day sucks.

He saw his opening and silently slipped out of the shadows, striking down the mad doctor that was giving the League so much trouble the past week. Batman quickly knocked out the doctor, there was no point in keeping him conscience.

Superman kicked off the chunk of wall that was lying on top of him moments ago, "Good, you got him." He smiled as looked at his dark quiet friend, sometimes he was a little to brooding in nature for his liking.

Bruce rolled his eyes, _didn't he always?_ He shoved their prisoner toward Superman, all he wanted was to go back into his cave. Bruce sighed, today was the anniversary of his parent's death, he knew he should have ignored J'onn's request for his help. But he also knew that he would never forgive himself if his friends got hurt because of him. _Hmmm… friends, funny how most of his "friends" didn't even know who he was, and that the only way he could ever comfortably talk to them was while wearing a mask._

Superman frowned; Bruce was being more quiet than usual. This, in hindsight, was a very difficult thing to do, "Batman? You okay?"

He refused to flinch; maybe his friend knew more about him than he initially thought, "Are we done here?" His voice contained no emotion, today was one of those days he was grateful for the mask he wore, it made it easier to hide.

Clark sighed, he was going to get no explanation from him today, "Yeah, go back to your cave already." Denying the chance to return a remark, Batman silently nodded his farewell and turned to leave.

J'onn's voice resounded in their minds _:Superman, Batman, there is a situation in New York City, your assistance is needed immediately: _

Batman silently cursed, he was so close to leaving! Superman grabbed their unconscious prisoner and lifted off the ground, soaring into the sky, ready give their prisoner to the police and save the day once again. Silently walking towards his jet, Batman got in and took off; today was going to be a long day.

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Superman looked down at Time Square; other League members were already present and seemed to be handling the situation fairly well. A group of people had threatened to cover the whole of New York City with an unknown toxic substance.

_"It looks like they have it handled, why am I here?"_ Batman's voice sounded through his earpiece, Superman sighed, Bruce was really moody today.

"Just see if anyone has gotten to the bomb yet, I'll go and apprehend any stragglers from the terrorist group," he quickly flew off into the crowded chaos below while Batman glided like a dark shadow to the ground.

As he quietly landed on the ground, Batman stood in front of the overly large and dramatic bomb, he rolled his eyes, why did everyone assume that the larger the bomb the larger the explosion? He blinked and looked closer, he bit back a frustrated growl, a blind hippopotamus could see that this was no bomb! He could tell he was extremely tired and running on fumes when he started talking about random animals of nature, soon he'll be spouting movie references.

"All League members, this is no bomb, focus on finding the real thing!" Batman said over their radios.

_"You don't think they just didn't have a bomb to begin with?,"_ an overly hyper voice sounded over the radio.

Batman smirked, never underestimate the Flash, "That may be so, but we need to make sure." With that, all League members went into a frantic search to find the possible bomb. Batman looked closer at the pointless metal blob in front of him, which was when he saw a reflection of a small red blinking light. "I found the bomb."

Batman was in the process of defusing it when Superman showed up, "You almost done?" He did not dignify Superman's question with an answer, defusing bombs was not as easy as he made it look.

"Any idea what the toxic substance is?" this time it was Wonder Woman who interrupted his focus. Again, he did not answer.

Green Lantern joined the group with another question to the extremely preoccupied dark knight, "Do you have any idea who the terrorist group was?" Batman bit his tong, why did people have to change a way a bomb is wired up every time he has to diffuse one?

Diana touched his arm, he nearly swore, she had slightly moved his arm with her supposedly kind gesture and caused him to nudge a thin metal sheet. The countdown began to move faster, "Get everyone out of here as quickly as possibly!"

Without questioning him, the remaining League members raced off to get people to safety; normally he would have liked their ability to following his orders. But now wasn't one of those times, they apparently forgot that he couldn't fly; it was a good thing he wasn't afraid of heights. As he swung from the building with the bomb, he felt a sense of dread in his stomach. He did not have time to question said dread before he was thrown through the air into a nearby building. Today was not his day.

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Superman stared at the face of one of his closest friends, he couldn't help but blame himself for what happened, and he should have known that Bruce would not be able to clear the building in time. Sometimes it was just so hard to remember that Batman was only human. But at the same time he smiled, he couldn't wait for Bruce to wake up and look in the mirror, that toxic substance truly did a number on him.

The dark and terrifying Batman had been changed back into his small scrawny fifteen year old self. He couldn't help but stare at his friend's pale young face and unruly black hair. It was a shame he did not have his camera with him.

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**Tell me what you think!**

**Next time: **He stared into the mirror his ice blue eyes blue eyes the only things conveying his anger, "What the hell happened to me!" There was no way he wanted to go through puberty again!


	2. Chapter 2

**Warning! It's going to be a tad AU in this chapter as well as later ones (I'm going to change up his past, in memories etc.)**

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Bruce opened his eyes to find Diana staring down at him, a small smile splayed across her face. It was very suspicious.

"What are you doing here Diana?" his voice didn't sound right, where was his deep melodramatic tone? And why did Diana look like she had the urge to pinch his cheeks?

Diana couldn't help but to stare at the teenaged Batman, he was just so small, and cute! She had the urge let out a girlish squeal, "Oh Batman, let me get a mirror for you." Diana smiled as the young teenaged boy squinted his blue eyes in suspicion, he may be a teenager, but he was still heir Batman.

Superman waked in the room and grinned as he saw Diana bring over a mirror for his now teenaged friend, he could not wait to see Bruce's reaction.

When Bruce looked in the mirror, he stared in shock. His once large powerful features had been replaced with small sharp angles and a scrawny body to match. His jaw line was still prominent, but it was far more bony and boyish than it would grow to be. His hair was styled short and spiky, not nearly as sophisticated as before. His eyes were the only things that did not truly change; then again they hadn't shown any innocent childlike gleam since he was eight years old. He looked down at his legs, and found them far to short to his liking, apparently he had not had his growth spurt yet, and if his memory was correct, it wouldn't occur for a long time.

His ice blue eyes blue eyes the only things conveying his anger, he turned to Clark and Diana, "What the hell happened to me!" There was no way he wanted to go through puberty again!

Clark pouted, he was hoping to at least get a childlike squeal from the Bat, but no all he got was quiet evaluation, "We suspect it was that toxic chemical's doing, and yes we are working on a solution."

Bruce scowled, why did he have to be a teenager? Those were the some of the worst years of his life; he did not want a trip down memory lane! He looked down at his arms to find a long red scar from his wrist to his elbow, being far to deep to only be a half hearted attempt, he quickly hid his arms under the covers; they were far more noticeable as a teenager than as an adult.

Diana smiled; she assumed Bruce's dive under the covers was because of embarrassment, "I'll try to find some clothes that you can fit in." As turned and left, she couldn't help notice a very teenage eye roll.

Superman looked down at his quiet friend, he was just so small and weak looking, "So… when do you hit your growth spurt?"

Bruce gave him a half hearted glare, "Oh shut up Supes!"

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Bruce looked in the mirror, he was wearing a black t-shirt and black gym shorts, he looked like he just came from PE class. _At least they're in black._

Just then Flash zoomed into the room, "Wow, Bats! Who knew you were just a scrawny little…" The teen Bat sent Flash his ever potent Batglare! That shut him up pretty quick.

Flash gulped as he saw the dangerous glower sent his way, even as a teenager Batman was scary, "So what do you want us to call you? I can't go around calling you Batman, it be weird."

_Oh, and being a teenager isn't?_ Bruce sighed, Flash did have a point, might as well keep as simple as possible, "You can call me Bruce."

The Flash screwed up his face in deep thought, "Huh, you don't look like a Bruce." The teenager stood silent for while and then let out a small chuckle, and silently walked away, leaving Flash in a state of shock. _The Batman never laughs!_

As he walked toward the control center of the tower, Bruce let his miniscule smile fall from his face, _what was he doing, they know he's the Batman, there was no need to hide behind a smile anymore. It was so much easier when he actually was wearing his mask._

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**Well that's it for now! Suggestions are appreciated! Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

Bruce reached the command center to find J'onn overlooking the monitors as usual, at least something's never change. He crossed his arms, wishing he had a sweatshirt, "Hey J'onn, anything interesting?"

The green Martian turned around, smiling quietly at his now very young friend, "Nothing of any dire importance." He couldn't help but notice the somewhat defensive posture of his dark human friend, "How are you feeling?"

"Just peachy," Bruce tried to not roll his eyes, but failed miserably. The Martian man hunter couldn't help but chuckle at his dear friend's new teenage tendencies. Bruce avoided looking into J'onn's eyes, only staring out into the empty void of space.

J'onn frowned, Batman rarely ever got distracted from any situation at hand, no matter how dull. He reached forward and touched his shoulder trying to get his attention; the young Bat flinched away violently, jumping back a couple of feet.

The alien stared at him in shock, the human's normally clear blue eyes seemed to be glazed over with some unnamable emotion. J'onn tentatively called out, "Batman?"

Bruce shook his head, trying to shake away memories that had suddenly came up without warning, "You can just call me Bruce, its not like its going to stay secret long with me like this."

Choosing to ignore his friend's attempt to forget the awkward situation that came about, J'onn nodded in agreement, "So what are you planning to do in your current condition?"

Bruce shrugged and let a sly smirk crawl across his face, "Don't know, I'm sure I'll think of something." Still smirking he walked silently away, making sure that it did not look like he was running. He needed to see Alfred, to many memories that he tried to keep locked away had a sneaky way of coming up at him at least opportune moments. He looked down at his arms, remembering what had drove him to such hopelessness, Alfred was the only one who saved him then. Maybe he would by the one to save him again.

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Superman walked down a long corridor, not really intent on a destination, he was only trying to get away from the rest of the League. Who were currently discussing the Batman's new predicament, Flash was actually running around the space station looking for the elusive hero (he wanted to play laser tag). Superman smiled and shook his head at the Flash's antics, but then again, this was a teenager they were talking about. He was so lost in thought that Clark almost walked past his phantom like friend without even noticing.

"Bruce! There you are, Flash is looking for you," Clark smiled, but it didn't last long when he saw his friend give one of the most fakest smiles he had ever given. Strange, he was usually much better at hiding his emotions.

Bruce almost winced when he realized how fake his smile was, his mind was just spinning a million miles an hour and he couldn't get it to stop, "Oh, well tell Flash I'm going to be heading back to Gotham. I'll catch up with him tomorrow."

Clark studied his friend, the teenager's arms were crossed defensively and his normally clear blue eyes seemed to be distant, it didn't help that Bruce just looked so damn skinny. For some reason he gave off the impression of a kicked puppy, and that look did not belong anywhere on his best friend, "No, you should stay here for another night, just to be sure your alright." Bruce opened his mouth to protest, but Clark beat him to the punch, "And don't try to argue with me! It's for the best and you know it!"

Bruce was about to let out a snide remark and argue his case very successfully, but before he got the chance; the Flash zoomed in to interrupt. "There you are Ba-_er_- Bruce! I've been looking for you all over! Do want to play laser tag? It'll be sooooooo much fun!"

"Laser tag?"

"Yup! So what do you say?" Flash gave Bruce one of his goofiest grins.

Bruce sighed, he would have to go sooner or later, and it would be a distraction from what was going on inside his head, he let loose one of his most demonic smirks, "You're on Bozo!"

Flash smiled and gripped Bruce's arm and began to run, he tried his best to hide his shudder from that nightmarish smirk he had given him. Picking up speed, he was surprised by how light Bruce was, he must not have gained muscle mass until his later years.

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To say Superman was shocked by Bruce's answer would have been an understatement; it was an enigma that he would have a very difficult time to solve. Now that he looked back on it, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

Bruce was not as alert as he should be, and his posture practically screamed fear, but what would Batman have to fear here? He decided to speak with J'onn, after all, who better to ask about psychology than a mind reader?

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J'onn looked up from what he was doing when Superman walked in; he had a sense that this had something to do with the young Batman. "Superman, I am I safe to presume that you are here to speak of a mutual Bat friend of ours?"

Superman smiled, "You presume correctly, have you seen Batman at all today?"

J'onn nodded, seeing where this was going, "Yes, he was a here a little while ago, why? Did you notice something?"

"I'm not sure, he just wasn't himself. Which I guess is to be a expected, I mean he did just wake up to find himself as a teenager," No matter how much he wanted to rationalize it, Clark could not shake the feeling that something was wrong.

"I noticed that to, I believe it's his mind processing things, but there was something else," J'onn trailed off at the end, thinking about the incident that happened earlier.

Superman looked at him questionably, waiting for him to continue.

J'onn shook himself from his thoughts, "He was distracted and I tapped his shoulder to get his attention, he flinched, like he was expecting a punch." Clark stared at his green friend in shock, were they truly talking about the same person? J'onn frowned and continued, thinking along the same lines, "Although I may be mistaken, this is Batman we are speaking of."

Clark nodded, but both heroes couldn't help but feel unsettled, no matter what reassurances they thought of.

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**Well that's it for now! Alfred will be coming soon! And maybe a couple of flashbacks, I'm not sure yet. Suggestions and Reviews are appreciated! **


	4. Chapter 4

_Jeez! How can such a little kid be so damn deadly!_ Flash thought as he walked out of the League training room which he had converted into a laser tag arena, he lost every single match with the little bat.

Bruce let a small genuine smile cross his face, that was more fun then he thought it would be, beating Flash was also one of the reasons he was smiling, "Good game Flash! Want to do it again sometime?" Bruce smirked when he saw the Flash pout.

Flash glared at Bruce, knowing the kid was teasing him, could he even call him a kid? _Nah…_ Bruce would kick his ass if he did. Glaring at Bruce, Flash discovered, was a very hard thing to do. Although he was now a teenager, Flash felt like Bruce was ten years old, and the slightly baggy clothes didn't help. Flash sighed, "Sure thing shorty!"

Bruce glared at Flash's receding form walking down the hallway, "I prefer the term 'vertically challenged'!"

Flash snorted in laughter, who knew Batman would actually be funny, unless he was being serious about that. Flash turned around to make sure that Bruce was smiling to, he was, no wait, that was a smirk, a very very very scary smirk! Flash gulped, "You hungry? The cafeteria is close."

"Are other people going to be there?"

Flash blinked and looked down at his small companion, was that fear he heard in that voice? The kid's arms were crossed, and it looked as if he was clutching them against his body for dear life. Maybe he didn't want the others to comment on his size, or was afraid that Wonder Woman would want to try and pinch his cheeks? "Probably, but I'm sure they will all be very supportive and not tease you."

Bruce gave Flash the 'oh my God you did not just poop there' look, "Sure they won't."

"They're your friends; if they do they'll be laughing _with_ you, not _at_ you!"

"Do you see me laughing?" Bruce said in a small quiet voice. That was not the reaction the Flash was predicting, an angry outburst, but not silent resignation.

Flash stood in front of Bruce and look directly into his ice blue eyes, "I could just get some food for you, you don't have to go in."

Bruce gave Flash a small microscopic smile, "Thanks Flash, I'd really appreciate it."

"Great! Just stay here! I'll be right back!" And with that Flash was, well, gone in a flash. ***TeeHee!* **

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Flash walked into the mess hall, and was immediately barraged with questions. He was becoming profusely glad Bruce refused to come with him.

Wonder Woman looked around Flash, hoping to find Bruce, "Where is he Flash? Everyone wants see him." The others in the room nodded in eagerness and agreement.

"I don't know where he went, but by the looks of it, he's probably hiding from you people." Flash grabbed a tray and started piling on food, making sure he grabbed all the healthy stuff, he doubted the Batman's eating habits changed much.

After gathering all the necessary food items, Flash turned around to find everyone staring at him, "What?"

Shiyera raised an eyebrow at him, "You going on a diet?"

"Maybe, you got problem with that?" Flash ran quickly out the room, not wanting to make any more excuses.

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Bruce felt a gust of wind rush past him, he looked up to find Flash standing in front of him carrying a try of food, "Thanks"

Flash handed him the food, and sat cross-legged next to him, "Smart thinking, not coming with me. They all just started asking questions. They all really want to see you."

Bruce bit into an apple and rolled his eyes, "Fantastic."

"This is kind of nice," Flash smiled as Bruce looked at him questionably, "I mean, just talking to you, you may not know this, but you weren't this talkative before."

Bruce ate a string bean and shrugged, "I know, it's just harder without an actual mask." They both sat in companionable silence as Bruce finished eating his uber-healthy food.

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Flash was having a very interesting conversation with Bruce about the pros and cons of bananas when Bruce abruptly changed the subject and asked in a quiet tentative voice, "Hey Flash, can you do me a favor?"

Flash blinked in surprise, the Batman needing help? Impossible! "Um… sure what is it?"

"I need you to distract J'onn and anyone in the control room for a couple of seconds."

"Can I ask why?"

Bruce sighed and turned his head so Flash wasn't looking directly at his face, "Superman wants me to stay another day, and I really don't want to."

Flash looked at the suddenly shy and nervous teenager he was sitting next to, why did Bruce look so sad? He couldn't stand to see that look on the person who was The Batman! "Of course I can! Right now?"

Bruce turned back to Flash and smiled, "Thank you Flash, you have no idea how important this is to me!" He stood up and gave Flash a hand to stand up as well, "Right now would be good."

Flash nodded, happy that he could help, and he ran to the control room, determined to help his friend.

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"We don't have time for this Flash!" Superman groaned, becoming slightly annoyed as Flash practically force J'onn and himself into some bizarre 'scientific' experiment.

Flash smiled, being careful to _not_ look at the camera monitors, "But Supes! I really need you guys' help! Without you, the world may never know the exact speed of Kryptonians and Martians eating a hamburger. This is for _science_!"

J'onn just shrugged and ate his hamburger, Clark rolled his eyes and fallowed suite, never noticing a black jet leaving the hanger and heading towards Earth.

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Alfred smiled as he heard the grandfather clock move to the side, Master Bruce was home. He turned around, fully prepared to greet his surrogate son formally, only to nearly have a heart attack with the sight standing before him.

Before him stood a small pale teenager, his black hair rumpled and short, ice blue eyes distant and lost, clothed in clothing to large for him. He was so small that Alfred almost thought he was only ten years old, then he saw the scares running up the boy's arm.

With a small quavering voice, the boy looked up at him, his blue eyes filled with pain, "Alfred?"

"Oh Master Bruce, what happened to you?"

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**Well, I finally put up another chapter! Yay! Sorry, again, for taking so long. I'm not sure how long its going to take to write the next one!**

**Please Review! Suggestions are welcome!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Yay! I'm back! *the italics are flash backs* The flashbacks are going to be a little AU**

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_Bruce locked himself in his room, it had only been a year since his parents' murder and it still wasn't getting any easier. He tried to love his Aunt and Uncle, he really did try, it was just so hard to pretend. Bruce quickly wiped away the tears running down his face, he had to get better at hiding his emotions, his Uncle didn't like weaklings. And his Aunt, his Aunt would just try to make him cry even more. _

_ He knew there was something wrong, he knew he should tell someone, but if he did he would be left alone, again. Bruce knew he would not be able to survive alone, not if he kept on being weak like this, he had to learn how to pretend, he had to learn how to lie._

_ If Alfred were here Bruce knew he wouldn't be able to pretend to be okay, Alfred would know, Alfred always knew. But he wasn't there, his Uncle sent him away because his stupid Aunt thought it would be fun to flirt with him. Bruce hated his Aunt and Uncle, they took away the only thing that could ever take away his nightmares._

_ Bruce clenched his hands, his cold ice blue eyes burning with rage, he had had ENOUGH! He was sick and tired of his Aunt's cold hearted manipulations and her sick joy with drowning puppies. He was done dealing with his Uncle's poisoned words and heavy fist. If this continued, he would probably never be able to fulfill his oath he made to his parents at their grave._

_ Bruce would find Alfred, he was the Master to the Wayne fortune, not his Uncle! He could have any damn butler he wanted, but first he would have to learn to hide in plain sight, he would have to learn how to wear his own face as a mask, and he would survive._

_ It took three years to find Alfred, and three seconds to convince him to come back. Sadly Alfred's return was too late to save Bruce from himself entirely._

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Bruce awoke slowly, still groggy from last night's restless sleep, hoping that yesterday was all only a horrible sick nightmare. _Hmmmm… he didn't remember his bed being so damn HUGE! _Bruce groaned and fell back onto his pillows; it wasn't a dream after all.

A soft nock came on the door, and Alfred walked in carrying breakfast and orange juice, wait, orange juice? What happened to his coffee?

Alfred smiled at his 'young' master, trying hard to not think about what his four year absence from the young man's, no… boy's life. It was a hard time on the both of them, "Here is your breakfast Master Bruce," he placed the tray on the side table as Bruce sat up, giving Alfred a small grateful smile.

"No coffee?"

"No Master Bruce," Alfred smirked at the boy, "I don't know if you remember, but when you were younger caffeine tended to make a little to hyper for my liking."

Bruce climbed out of his bed, my God his bed was huge, "That was once Alfred. Once!"

Alfred smiled, feeling extremely blessed that he was one of the very few that ever got to see the real side of Bruce, "And yet it was so scaring that I can still remember every detail."

Bruce smirked and rolled his eyes as he sipped at his orange juice, glad he could still pull off their banter without any effort. He ate his breakfast slowly as Alfred went to find some of Dick's old clothes for him to wear. _Dick…_he missed that kid, and to be honest, he still didn't really know what he did to make the kid hate him so much. Kid… was he allowed to call Dick that with himself younger than him? Ha! He could call Dick whatever he damn well pleased and the look on the kid's face if ever said that to him! Bruce smiled sadly, he regretted what happened between them, maybe with his current condition Dick wouldn't be able to stay angry with him. Bruce knew on good authority that his puppy dog face could melt Satan's heart!

Bruce's musings came to a complete halt, how was he going to be Batman like this? He couldn't ask Dick, Nightwing had his own city too protect. Maybe he could practice his stealth skills a bit more, he could make himself practically invisible with a little more concentration, and with his smaller frame he might be able to move quickly enough so that no one would be able to see how small he was. He hated being this short! Where were his bulging muscles? He liked those! Stupid late growth spurt! Bruce paused, thinking about all the thoughts that just went through his head, wow, that was a lot haphazard thought. He blamed the hormones.

"Master Bruce," Alfred walked in carrying a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, "The pants might be a little long, but I think it will do for now."

Bruce hid a pout; even Dick was taller than him when he was fifteen! This sucks!

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Clark walked into the Daily Planet, trying to force his worries of his friend out of his mind, Alfred had called him last night to tell him that Bruce was at the mansion. In hindsight, he should have known that Bruce would pull a stunt like that.

Reaching his desk, he didn't even bother to say hello to Lois, his thoughts were still on his newly teenaged friend. He had this gut feeling that this problem would not just go away, he only hoped that Bruce would be able to handle this. What was he thinking, of course he could, Bruce was still the Batman.

"Clark?" Lois called out his name, she must have noticed his melancholy, "Are you alright?"

Clark smiled, he was now.

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Wally walked into the forensic lab, glad to be at his actual paying job, don't get him wrong, he loved being the Flash, but he also took great pleasure of the normalcy of everyday life. He loved both his jobs.

He brought a sample of the toxin that Bat… no, Bruce, breathed in. Maybe he would be able to find a way to reverse it. He was a scientist after all.

Wally thought back to the day before in the Justice Tower/Space Station with the young Bruce, he knew that Bruce was still the Batman, but something was wrong. The teenager was distant, and not the normal Batman distant, it was different in a way that made Wally even more worried. The kid wasn't quiet, he talked, but when he talked it was like he wasn't really saying anything. And those smiles, the kid only truly smiled at him twice, yes there were other smiles but none had reached his eyes.

He had seen some kids like that in the police station a couple of times, and with those thoughts, Wally really didn't want to know what that meant about Batman's childhood.

Wally shook those thoughts from his head, it wasn't his business, but he was still going to ask Superman where Bruce lived. He wanted a rematch of laser tag!

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** I'm soooooo glad that so many people like this story! Thanks for all the nice reviews! **

**I was thinking about having Bruce meet the Joker (with the Joker not knowing who Bruce is). Any suggestions of how the Joker runs into teen Bruce would be appreciated!**

**Please Review! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Do you know what I want for Christmas? Reviews! *hint***

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Flash gulped as he looked at the large forbidding gates of the Wayne Mansion, he couldn't believe that he didn't see it before! Batman had to have money to be able to practically pay for the entire Justice League Space Station, and when he told him that his name was Bruce… he should have known!

The large gates opened slowly, a British voice came from an intercom incased in the stone wall beside him, "Mister West, I've been told to expect your visit, please come in." The large forbidding black iron gates opened slowly, the Flash zoomed in.

The door was opened by an elderly man that had a sense of quiet, graceful authority about him, "Welcome to the Wayne Manor, I will you show you to young Master Bruce."

Wally couldn't help but smile as the man put a slight emphasis on the word 'young'.

:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

Wally shivered, descending into a dark dank cavern was not his idea of fun, neither was listening to the screeching of the caves natural inhabitants. He gulped down is irrational fear, "So, umm… Alfred right? Uh, how long do these stairs go exactly?"

The butler chuckled lightly; who knew giving a tour of his master's cave could be so fun? "The end is just up ahead." Turning around a sharp corner, the stairway was filled with light, a grand cavern lighted by floodlights stretched before them.

All Wally noticed was an elevator standing across the room, "We could have taken an elevator this entire time?" The older man had the gall to grin cheekily at him, their something that reminded him the all famous Batsmirk. Wally decided that smile should never be on a face of a butler, he thought he knew fear, now he wasn't so sure…

An eerie whistling echoed across the endless cave, Wally turned toward the sound. A young Bruce stood with his back towards him, an over large white lab coat smothered the boy's small frame.

Wally grinned, speeding towards him, but before he could scare him, Bruce held up his hand to halt the Flash's pursuit.

Ice blue eyes looked to him filled with mirth, plastic protective goggles seeming to magnify his mischievous stare, he smirked, "Stand back, I'm about to do science."

:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

A large explosion knocked Wally back ten feet, Bruce on the other hand was thrown into the far wall of the cave, and Alfred on the other hand took Bruce's warning to heart and had left the vicinity.

After catching his breath, Wally ran towards Bruce who was still lying on the ground from his impact with the wall. "Bruce, are you alright? Should I get Alfred?"

The teenager slowly sat up, his black hair sticking up haphazardly, and grimy ash smudged his face, Wally couldn't help but think of a kid dressing up as a mad scientist for Halloween. Bruce groaned running a hand through his hair, "I need to run some more tests on that compound."

Wally snorted, "I'd say! You nearly killed me!"

The boy shrugged, and stood up, "I told you to stand back."

The red head couldn't think of what to say next, so went to a different more important topic, "So… Bruce Wayne huh?"

He smiled tiredly, "That's my name don't where it out."

:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

"Eat my bullets zombie!"

Alfred smiled as he entered the formerly little used entertainment room, he couldn't remember the last time Bruce had this much fun. Even when he was a child he never had any friends over. Alfred silently thanked God that Wally had found Dick's old video games in the hall closet and opted himself for teaching Bruce how to play them; his young Master needed to get all the fun he could before his memories start to play havoc on his mind again.

Setting a plate of cookies down before the odd pair, "I'll bring you some carrots Master Bruce."

Bruce smiled gratefully at him, "Thanks Alfred," turning towards the game, "No! I died! Again!"

After the butler quietly left the room, smile splayed happily over the old man's face, Wally turned to the all too thin boy sitting next to him, "Carrots? Seriously!"

A small embarrassed blush spread on the boy's cheeks, "What, I like carrots, sue me!"

"You're a teenager!" Wally shoved a cookie in his mouth, groaning in pleasure as its heavenly flavor exploded in his mouth, "Teenagers eat cookies!"

"What does being a teenager have to do with it? I like vegetables, is that a crime?" Bruce gave up playing the game and set down the remote, killing zombies looked so easy when Dick did it.

"Yes! Teenagers don't like healthy food, its genetically impossible!"

Bruce rolled his eyes, "I guess I have mutated genes!"  
>Wally popped another cookie in his mouth, "Eat the cookie!"<p>

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Carrots!" Bruce jumped from the floor and took the tray from Alfred's hands. Quickly sitting down, the dark haired boy chomped loudly on a carrot stick, "There delicious!"

Wally stared at him in disbelief, "There is something wrong with you!"

:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

**Admittedly not my best work, but Wally and Bruce friendship! **

**Sorry for taking so long, I got a major case of writer's block!**

**Please Review! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Wow… I am a horrible person for taking soooooooooo long! *sorry***

**The italics are Bruce's inner thoughts.**

Bruce walked down a littered street, trying desperately to deny the mischievous spark that appeared in Alfred's eyes when he thought his young master wasn't looking. The last time he saw that spark was when he had mysteriously been signed up for his high school talent show. Bruce shuddered at that memory, it may be true that he could keep his cool in front of hundreds of people, but it didn't mean he liked it, God forbid he ever relish it!

Thankfully, Alfred left his young charge to his own devises. A walk through the dangerous city that Bruce called home always helped distract him from whatever horrific dealings were going through his butler's proper English head.

It had been two days since Flash visited and Bruce was officially going stir crazy, his youthful body and flashes of pure innocent and confusing thoughts left Bruce bewildered and a little lost. He had found himself reliving memories that he had shut up and locked away years ago, never meant to be dusted off and seen again. Whatever happened to his body seemed to have ripped away a wall inside his mind, Bruce's dreams may have always been riddled with nightmares, but never with so many memories packed inside. He was loosing his edge, sudden noises made him jump, a soft touch made him cringe, a loud yell made him want to run and hide.

Bruce rubbed his face tiredly, trying to revive his composure. He was the goddamned Batman for crying out loud! He had an image to maintain! But sadly his psyche seemed to have other ideas.

He paused for a moment in the dirty, trash strewn street, someone was following him. Bruce continued to walk calmly, hoping that whoever it was wasn't to big and that he could still pull off a few of his tricks without his much missed bulk. _Damn late growth spurt!_

Turning a corner, Bruce caught a glance at the person following him. _Six feet tall, around 250 pounds, dark clothing (considering it's Gothom they were in, that wasn't surprising), muscular, ugly ass face…_ He cataloged everything he could from that single glance, if the man was not a professional, then Bruce could probably take him even with his size issue.

Seeing a fire escape ladder not to far ahead, Bruce reasoned that he could just evade the threat all together. _But he was soooooooooo bored!_

Giving into his childlike rebelliousness, he hid behind a dumpster, waiting to pounce on his unsuspecting prey. _Oh God, he's making himself sound like a psychotic animal; he must be bored._

The would-be mugger never stood a chance; combined with his awesome ninja skills and the attention span of a five year old, Bruce showed no mercy.

Bruce smiled madly, how he missed that adrenaline rush, that thrill of knowing your enemy was _down_ and never getting up again.

Running feet echoed down a nearby side walk, he must have attracted some attention. Bruce was not in the mood to offer explanations; he needed a safe haven to hole up until this blew over.

A bank caught his eye, it was one of the older and less impressive ones but it was perfect for what he had in mind.

:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

Strange disturbing cackling flowed out of a painted, scarred smile, "Hey ya friends, who wants a laugh?"

_On second thought, maybe the bank wasn't the best idea…_


	8. Chapter 8

**Entirely in the Joker's POV**

He smiled wickedly, was it really his fault that all these people were just soooooo gullible. They were practically begging him to liven up their day, and who was he to refuse?

Their eyes were what made him giggle the most, all wide and full of terror. Oh how he relished it! But one pair caught his eye, the one pair of eyes that wasn't silently begging him to take pity on the person's worthless life.

They were a cold-ice blue, glaring at him in… annoyance? The all smiling Joker frowned, how could someone dare to not be terrified? How could they dare to not tremble before his presence? It's bad enough no one laughs at his jokes, but now they're not even scared of him?

Those insulting eyes belonged to a dark haired boy, _a child, a child mocked him!_ A child who was far too small for his age, and a face far too serious and dark to be considered normal. _Fascinating…_

The Joker smiled widely again, _what a thrill, he always loved surprises!_ He giggled quietly, "Oh this is going to be FUN!" Still smiling, he cart-wheeled toward the boy; already forgetting the money that was still locked inside the vault below his feet.

To his utter chagrin, the boy's eyes did not widen in fear at his approach. Quite the opposite in fact, they narrowed in suspicion. The Joker only got a response when he wrapped an arm around the boy's shoulder, a gun resting on the lad's temple: a slight stiffening of the shoulders. Sure, he was hoping for a whimper, possibly some begging, but he would just have to settle for what he could get.

The crowd of hostages gasped in horror, probably fearing for the child's life. _Oh how touching… _The Joker chuckled, "What's your name sonny?"

"Brian," the boy said through clenched teeth.

_ Ugh, still no whimpering!_

"Why aren't you scared Brian?" he really was curious.

The boy hazarded a glance at his captor, "Who says I'm not?"

The Joker almost frowned, almost. The boy's eyes were expressionless blue voids. Instead he smirked, cocking his gun with a click, "Whoever's the manager of this fine establishment better get that money from those vaults, unless you want the death of a sweet innocent child on your hands."

The men and women in trembling in front of him paled, a balding man in a horrific tweed suit slowly stood. In a trembling voice he said, "I – I 'm the ma – manager."

The Joker silently stared at the terrified man before him, and slowly brought his finger toward the trigger. That set the man running out of the room toward the vaults.

He giggled and nodded to one of the tellers, "Stand up and use that rope to tie everyone's hands, or else the boy dies." The woman did not need to be told twice.

Silence stretched, sirens roared.

The Joker sighed in annoyance, he should have been gone by now. It wasn't his fault that his heist was only made for the soul reason of luring Batman. Was it so wrong to actually go looking for his batfriend… he honestly enjoyed his silent brooding company.

The manager returned with a bag full of cash… Joker sighed in disappointment, no Batman today. Oh well, he did find a fascinating anomaly that he would just _love_ to figure out.

:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

The Joker made a clean get away; he even forgot to take the money with him. Something far more interesting dominated his mind, that boy _Brian_. That boy showed no fear, he liked that, but he did not smile nearly enough. He grinned devilishly, he would have to fix that…

**I'm not sure how I did with writing the Joker, he's a little difficult to put into words… Suggestions would be appreciated! **


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry for taking so long! Please don't kill me!**

Bruce sighed in relief when he came in sight of the large stately gates of the Wayne Manor, his walk was far more eventful then he would have liked. That run in with the Joker further cemented his worry of his size dilemma. How was he going to be Batman when he was as small as a ten year old?

"Master Bruce, you're home," Alfred opened the door before Bruce could turn the handle, something was up, and Bruce doubted he would like it.

The boy smiled hesitantly, "Hey Alfred, what's going on?"

Alfred only smiled with a mischievous glint in his eye, "Oh nothing, we just had a surprise guest drop by."

"What sort of guest?"

:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

Dick sighed in annoyance, he arrived at Wayne manor an hour ago and he wasn't any closure to getting the reason why he was here out of Alfred. That butler could be infuriating at times! He got him all worked up with worry, bitterness, and anger only to lead him to the sitting room an tell him to wait, wait! Dick could not wait another moment, his curiosity was eating him from the inside. Why did Alfred want him here?

Muffled voices came through the oak door, one was noticeably Alfred's the other, a voice of a child. Did Bruce adopt _another_ kid? Was that why he was here?

The door opened to the forever polished Alfred and a very small teenager. The teenager's eyes widened in surprise when they landed on the sitting Richard.

Dick tilted his head curiously, there was something familiar about this boy, his unruly black hair (something that felt out of place with Dick), his pale porcelain skin, but it was the ice blue eyes that got to him the most. They were void of any child like innocence, they were not the eyes of a teenager.

"Dick?" it was a higher pitch and far less gruff, but still the same.

Dick swallowed dryly, his turn to be surprised, "Bruce?"

Bruce smiled hesitantly, "Alfred called you didn't he?"

Dick only nodded in response, momentarily speechless at the sight in front of him. A small, skinny, Bruce Wayne, the Batman, his 'father', swamped in clothing slightly to large, covering every inch of his undersized adolescent body. "What happened?"

"A chemical bomb exploded before I could get away from it," the teenager casually slouched onto an overstuffed sofa as if what he just said was a calm normal occurrence.

Dick spluttered incoherently, until he remembered that this was still Bruce f-ing Wayne he was talking to, "You haven't found a cure yet?" Dick decided to go for the snide bitter approach, he was still mad at him, no matter how young his former mentor's face was.

A brief flicker of pain passed of Bruce's face, he answered thickly, "No, I haven't"

Opting to ignore what was possibly an illusion of pain, Dick smirked, "Is that why I'm hear, you need my help?"

Bruce glared in answer, it was notably less fierce than any other glare Dick had received in his lifetime, "I don't know, ask Alfred, this was his idea."

After the mention of said butler, both vigilantes looked to find the man responsible for their current situation, gone. Bruce snorted in feigned disgust, "Figures."

Dick sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, this argument was getting nowhere, and he wasn't even sure Bruce wanted to argue, "Bruce – "

"Dick, I –"

Dick quickly silenced himself, something was off with the way Bruce said his name, is wasn't in annoyance or in exasperation, it was a call of desperation. He stared at his former mentor, to find the boy looking away from, his hands slightly trembling.

Bruce took in a steadying breath, "I'm sorry."

Dick blinked, sorry? That's all he wanted to say? He smiled, "Now was that so difficult?" Dick prepared himself for the growl in anger that was bound to from the boy's lips.

Instead, Bruce sighed, and steeled himself to look into the man's, whom he thought of as his son, eyes, "How about you stay for a while, we could catch up." He even tried to add a fake smile.

Dick gaped in surprise, that was not what he expected, and in the end it was Bruce's sad attempt at a smile that won him over, "That sounds just fine."

:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

Wally smiled and whistled a happy tune, he may not have found a cure for Bruce yet, but he brought some books on metaphysics that he knew would interest Bruce. Not to mention he still wanted a rematch in laser tag!

He calmly stepped down the stone steps into the Batcave, Alfred had already let him in and was making cookies as we speak. Wally's mouth watered at the thought, those cookies were heavenly!

He slowed down when he heard muffled voices echoing off the cavern walls:

_A deep older male voice cried out in feigned anger, "When did you get a secret stash of candy here?"_

_ A younger voice, definitely Bruce's, snorted, "I have always had a secret stash of candy here."_

_ "Well didn't you ever tell me?" _

Wally decided to enter the room in that moment, desperate to see if Bruce would share his candy with him. He found a much older looking Dick, whom he remembered as Robin now turned Nightwing.

Bruce grinned maliciously, and popped a gummy worm into his mouth, "You never asked."

In response, Dick glowered and tried in vain to steal some.

Bruce snatched back the bag of sugary goodness, and growled, "Get your own damn candy!"

"Please?" Dick tried the puppy eyes, but had a feeling that they would not faze the boy.

To his utter surprise and delight, Bruce sighed and handed over the bag, "But –" Dick gulped there was a catch, "Only if you share with Flash."


	10. Chapter 10

Bruce smiled as he watched Flash and Dick pulverize his secret stash of gummy worms, it was nice, relaxing, smiling. It was good, it was distracting, he needed as many distractions that he could afford; there was a murky blackness in the back of his mind that he knew could not be ignored forever. Bruce only hoped that it wouldn't get impatient and try to quake its ugly monstrous head.

"So Bruce, I never thought of you as a candy sort of guy?" Flash couldn't help but to think back to their carrot versus cookies conversation.

Bruce snorted in amusement and spun his overly large chair around in glee, who knew spinney chairs could be so fun? "How else am I supposed to stay awake?"

Dick smiled in quiet bemusement; his head was still reeling about the fact that Bruce was a KID! Seeing the cold dark man that practically raised him spinning in a chair and sharing quips and a quick smile always at the ready; it wasn't natural. And if Dick was being completely honest with himself, it scared him.

A bat squeaked from the high cavernous ceiling, Bruce noticeably flinched.

If Dick wasn't actively studying Bruce at that very moment he wouldn't have caught such a reaction. Why would the Batman flinch at a bat?

"How about we go see how Alfred is doing?" Bruce leapt out of his chair a little too enthusiastically, his eyes roaming the ceiling a little to obviously.

Flash smiled, "Ooh, maybe he baked cookies!" And with that enthusiastic grin, he sped off.

Dick walked as his now younger father figure quickly walked to the elevator, "Bruce, why did you –"

He was interrupted before he could continue his questioning, "I have chiroptophobia."

"What?"

Without turning around, Bruce gulped and clenched his fist, mentally preparing for Dick's assault of laughter bound to be heading his way, "I have an irrational fear of bats."

"What?!"

Bruce growled in annoyance and defensiveness as he stepped into the elevator, "Do you want to see if Alfred has cookies or not?"

Still staggering under Bruce's unforeseen and ironic confession, Dick only nodded mutely and endured a very awkward and quiet assent to the manor.

:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D


	11. Chapter 11

Bruce stood in the hallway outside of the kitchen, hesitating, he could hear Wally's groans of delight as he devoured the gooey goodness that was Alfred's cookies. He could hear Dick's snorts of laughter and Alfred's quiet remarks that had their own special humor. And yet Bruce could not find it in himself to enter the warm filled atmosphere that waited just across the threshold. He couldn't paste on a smile that he was so used to wearing; he couldn't put on the mask he taught himself to wear over ten years ago. There was nothing to fear here, he _knew_ that! And yet, he couldn't bring himself to ignore the queasy feeling in his stomach, the barely visible trembling that he couldn't force himself to hide. So instead of entering, Bruce ran.

:D :D :D

_ 'At least the bruises weren't on my face this time', Bruce couldn't help but think sardonically, 'Those are always a bitch to make excuses for'. He tenderly buttoned up his shirt, hiding the dark purple patchwork on his skin, he would be back to boarding school soon enough, away from the hellhole that he use to call his home. Not that boarding school was much better, but it was away from his Aunt and Uncle, Bruce figured he had to be grateful for the smaller things in life… 'Ha! What things?'_

_ Bruce shook his head from his reverie; he had no time for such things, there was a gala he had to go to. He took a deep breath, cleansing his mind, and trying to convince himself that the bruises didn't hurt that bad, trying to force that oh-so-charming smile on his face._

_ A bright clear, perfect white smile gleamed back at him. Mirrors are so easy to lie to. Impeccably dressed with perfectly shined black shoes and a smooth black tie; immaculate black hair, and a flawless face to match, Bruce's mask was firmly in place. _

:D :D

Alfred frowned in confusion, he could have sworn he saw Master Bruce walking behind Dick into the kitchen, but there was no Bruce only an empty hall. He turned to the two young men standing beside him currently devouring his freshly baked cookies, "Where is young Master Bruce?"

Mouths overflowing with chocolaty goodness, the two heroes turned to each other in surprise. Swallowing quickly and miraculously _not _choking, Flash answered in bewilderment, "He was behind us, right Dick?"

"Yeah, I know he came up with me in the elevator and I could've sworn I saw him just outside in the hall."

_Hmmmmm… where would Master Bruce go?_ Alfred continued to frown, he was at a loss to Bruce's whereabouts, _unless… oh no_.

:D:D

The library, bookshelf upon bookshelf filled the massive expanse, shadows made there home here among the isles hiding secrets in their depths. Hiding secrets, and Bruce.

He was in the farthest corner, away from the door and away from the windows. Encased in shadows, he sat trembling between the shelves that surrounded him, embracing him in their firm protective embrace.

The memories raced through his head, he tried to keep them at bay, but the dam broke before he could think of a way to allow a slow leak. There was no stopping their unrelenting onslaught, no stopping the suffocating feeling pressing on his chest.

Bruce breathed the scent of books, hoping to convince himself that this place was sanctuary, like it use to be. No one could reach him here, no one ever did. He was safe. _Safe._

_:D:D_

_ Loud voices ripped through the night, he crouched lower into the corner, praying he was not seen, praying that he would make though the night with minimum damage. They were both yelling, usually a good sign, they would be to busy with each other to turn their anger onto him, at least as long as he remained out of sight within the shelves._

_ But oh how sick he was of this hiding, of this fear, how sick he was of the existence he was forced to live, this existence he allowed himself to live in. If only he found Alfred soon, if only his parents hadn't died, if only he was strong enough to end this now! If only… no, it was to horrible to even think it. His parents would never want him to do such a thing, and Alfred, oh Alfred… he couldn't, he couldn't…_

_ The yelling got closer, Bruce could hear items breaking in the hall, it was going be a long night. He shifted his body, stifling a pained moan; the tumble down the stairs earlier hadn't helped his already bruise covered body. Luckily it only earned him some bruised ribs and a sprained ankle this time. But he knew his Aunt would think of another clever way to do him harm._

_ A loud high pitched screech pierced his thoughts, oh his Aunt, she certainly had some lungs. Always so clever with her poisoned words and cold hearted laughter, not to mention her horrid creative streak whenever she got in the mood to actually physically harm him. Oh how Bruce despised the woman, if only… no. He couldn't, but it would be so easy and oh so sweet…_

_:D:D_

"Master Bruce?" a voice cut through Bruce's memories like a knife, Alfred.

Wally and Dick followed Alfred as the man sprinted down the cavernous corridors of the manor, who knew an old man could run so fast? Well, at least to Dick's standards, Wally was only following because he had no idea where they were going.

Big, was Wally's first thought as he walked into the massive cavern like room filled to the brim with books upon books upon books.

"I almost forgot how large the library was" Dick commented, his voice taking on a naturally hushed tone in the presence of such massive amounts of knowledge and the quiet desperation that seemed to ooze from Alfred's every pore.

The butler walked forward determinately, he didn't want to think of the last time the young master took refuge in this place, he didn't want to think of the demons the plagued the young master's mind and he didn't want to think of the mental state he would find the boy in this time.

_:D:D Alfred'd POV :D:D_

_ The funeral was long and wet, but not with tears, at least not the young master's. The well wishers were finally all on their way leaving the young master to what they thought was his grief. Alfred couldn't help but think the boy's feelings were anything but that. Speaking of which, he had not seen the young master for some time._

_ A bad churning in his gut told him to be worried, the blank look void of all emotion on Bruce's face at the funeral told him to fear. Alfred tried to think of the places his Bruce could be, where his charge would hide, where his charge would… no… _

_ Alfred ran._

_ The library was filled with dust and a hauntingly still air, he almost doubted anyone had ever entered, but he knew Bruce, he knew the child thought of this haunted place as his sanctuary. Alfred ran toward the far corner, the most defensible position in the whole bloody place._

_ Bruce was there. Sitting in the cool glow of the rising moonlight. Sitting in a deep red pool of his own blood that cascaded freely from the boy's all too thin arms._

_ Alfred tore off his jacket hoping to stem the bleeding while simultaneously calling for help, hoping that some stragglers had stayed behind._

_ "Alfred?" the quiet, exhausted voice grabbed his attention._

_ Tears filled his eyes as looked to his charge, the boy he had promised to protect, the boy he failed, "Why Bruce?"_

_ The boy smiled, gleaming white and charming, "I did something unforgivable Alfred, my parents they wouldn't – they wouldn't – "_

_ Running footsteps entered the scene, Alfred didn't even look up to see who it was, he simply yelled at the person to call an ambulance quickly – "Or so help me God I will bloody well show you what they teach a man in her majesty's army!" The man didn't have to be told twice, maybe Bruce had a chance._

_ "I hated them Alfred, I couldn't stand it anymore – I'm sorry," and with those words, Bruce faded into the depths of unconsciousness._

_:D:D:D_

Bruce was exactly where Alfred had found him on that fateful night, leaning into the corner among the shelves, "Master Bruce, can you hear me?" The boy was distraught, his head leaning against his curled up legs, trembling with an unnamable emotion, his mind wrestling with the demons that never ceased to haunt him.

Dick could only stare in shock and disbelief, Bruce Wayne, his father, the man that taught could hold back endless hordes of evil without catching a single breath. Was falling apart in front of his eyes, he almost wanted to deny or maybe even celebrate in the proof that the Batman was indeed human. But he couldn't, all Dick could feel was an unsurmounting fear, a fear that his father was indeed human, a fear that the most undefeatable man was defeatable. The fear that if such a man like his father could be broken like this, where was the hope for the rest of them to survive.

Wally could only gulp back the bile that rose in his throat; his worse fear for Bruce had just been realized. He had an idea with what Bruce's childhood was like, but now he had the proof, now he knew that his first impression was true, that his friend was harmed by those he was meant to trust.

Bruce slowly raised his head, ice blue eyes fogged over with untold memories, "Alfred?" His voice was so quiet and fragile it barely permeated the thick air with its presence.

Alfred's voice was equally soft, "Yes Bruce I'm here"

"I'm so sorry" his voice cracked as a strange wetness glazed over his eyes.

The butler was about to question why Bruce apologized, but then came to the realization that he already knew the reason, it was the same reason the boy apologized all those years ago, Alfred sighed, placing a comforting hand the young master's trembling shoulder, "You do no need to apologize Bruce, your parents would have forgiven you just as I have for there is nothing to forgive."

Bruce only stared at him with confused terrified eyes, not able to comprehend Alfred's meaning, not able to wrap his mind around the fact that there was nothing for him to feel guilty about.

"How about you get some rest Master Bruce, it has been a trying day," not bothering to wait for the young master's response, Alfred in an impressive show of strength lifted Bruce into his arms and walked slowly out of the room filled with so many painful memories. Carrying his young charge in his protective embrace, wishing he could have protected the boy from all that wished him harm, but knowing he would never be allowed such a fate.

:D:D:D

Wally and Dick sat in silence as they waited for Alfred to return, neither knew what to say both to engulfed in their own thoughts to even want to try at conversing what they had just seen.

"Tea gentlemen?" the cultured voice mad the two young men jump, butlers shouldn't be that sneaky…

Dick cleared his throat self contentiously, "Um, Alfred, what - ?"

"I know Master Dick, it is not an easy thing to explain and I don't think that it is my place to do so," Alfred walked slowly to the kettle, emotional fatigue dragging him into a fog of exhaustion.

"But Alfred, what happened to Bruce to cause such an emotional break down?" Dick pleaded, needing to understand what caused such an indestructible man to shatter.

Alfred only shook his head, silently begging Dick to not ask him such painful questions.

Wally sighed, a rare frown marring his face, eyes downcast, "Alfred, I think both myself and Dick can piece together what happened. What with the flinching at loud noises and touch, that constant sickly sweet smile of his and his utter absolute need for constant distraction; Bruce is having trouble controlling his memories."

"And obviously not very nice ones," Dick muttered as Alfred passed him a cup of tea, taking a sip, "If you don't tell us something Alfred, my mind is going to come up with a whole slew of what those memories could be."

The butler slowly sat down, tea in hand, he seemed to have aged ten years in that single moment, "Master Bruce, after the death of his parents, was left in the care of his Aunt and Uncle. They were not good to him, and I was forced to leave against my wishes."

"That's all you are going say aren't you?"

Alfred nodded in answer to the speedster, "If you wish to know it in detail, you will have to ask Master Bruce."

Dick lipped his lips, only wanting know one thing, "What happened to his Aunt and Uncle."

The butler smiled into his cup of tea, knowing exactly what Dick wanted to do the people who harmed his Bruce, "They have been dead for quite some time."

The red headed speedster couldn't help but to give into his curiosity, "How?"

A young voice answered behind Wally entering the kitchen as quietly and gracefully as a ghost, "I killed them."

**Sorry for not updating very often, writer's block just sucks. But don't worry I am not going to abandon this fic! Thank you for all the reviews! (to be honest, they kind of guilt me into actually updating so go you!) **


	12. Chapter 12

"_I killed them."_

Bruce's words echoed throughout the room, bouncing off the walls with no resistance, only shocked silence filled its wake.

Alfred carefully set down his tea, awaiting the outburst from the two young men sitting beside him. Both heroes knew of how firmly Batman held to his 'no kill' policy, how determined he was to never deal a killing stroke no matter the future consequences.

Wally was the first to recover, still gob smacked, "You what?!"

Bruce simply shrugged, trying and failing to conceal his still trembling hands, "You heard me, I killed them."

Dick could only stare at the terrified boy in front of him, the boy that had drilled into his head how wrong killing was, how it was never the answer, never the right thing to do, "But you always said – "

Still pale and trembling from his emotional ordeal, memories still trying to claw their way into his mind, Bruce slowly sat at the table knowing that he had many difficult questions that had to be answered. "I know what I have said, and I do not take what I said back," he whispered quietly, staring at his pale trembling fingers, wishing the world would show some mercy to him and swallow him whole, there was no such luck.

Ice blue eyes filled with an overpowering emotion of sorrow and pain pierced into Dick's, begging his son in all but blood to simply listen and not to judge, "I told you killing is wrong, because I know it is, because I have killed and it is not something I would want anyone to live with after word."

"And you almost didn't" Wally's voice pierced the tense air, shattering the quasi-peace.

Bruce's voice took on a fearful shake, quickly pulling his arms off the table, knowing all attempt at hiding it was futile, yet trying to do so anyway, "What?"

Thoughts swirling through his head, _Bruce's defensive posture on the Tower, crossing his arms in an attempt to hide the evidence of his past, _Wally whispered, half not believing it himself, "You almost didn't."

His eyes widening in surprise and understanding, Dick turned to the small teenager sitting uncomfortably beside him trying in vane to look anywhere but the three persons in the room. Dick gently placed a hand the all too thin shoulders, silently begging for an answer, "Dad?"

With that one word, Bruce broke. Burying his face in his hands, he allowed silent tears to fall, so many years he had kept it all hidden trying to forget those years ever occurred, trying to never let such memories enter into his life and change him in any way. For the record, he blamed the hormones.

Instead of answering, he simply rolled up his sleeves, knowing the scars on his arms could explain it far better than words ever could. Both Wally and Dick grew pale; there was no denying, no going back now.

**Sorry this is so short, it just seemed like a perfect place to stop the chapter.**


	13. Chapter 13

_ Bruce crushed the peanuts into a fine powder, slowly adding it to the ingredients in the bowl. His Aunt was sleeping and his Uncle was out. The boy smirked, it was perfect. It was his aunt's birthday soon and she always did love her sweets, and lucky for him, she was extremely allergic to peanuts. _

_:D:D:D_

_ The delicious aroma of chocolate chip cookies wafted through the Manor, calling forth its prey from alcohol induced sleep. A thin attractive woman entered the trap, ensnared in its clutches, she reached for the warm treat, not knowing that she welcomed was death. _

_ She took a bite, moaning with pleasure as the melted chocolate sent fireworks of flavor inside her mouth. She took another bite, and another, and another. Soon half the plate was gone. The woman smiled in contentment, a little indulgence here and there would not harm her. The smile disappeared when she started to choke, she coughed hoping against hope it was something lodged inside and not the swelling of her throat. She called out, voice hoarse and weak, "Bruce!"_

_ The boy barely heard the whisper, but came running at her call, "Aunt?" He ran into the kitchen to see the woman lying on the ground gasping for breathe, he hid a smile, "What's wrong?"_

_ The woman could only gasp for breath uselessly, no air was entering her lungs and her lips were turning blue, she was dying. The boy waited until her body stopped trembling before he picked up the phone._

_ * '911, what's your emergency?' * _

_:D:D:D_

_ His Uncle was angry and drunk, not a good combination. His wife had been dead for only a week, however to him it felt like only yesterday, whether that was because of his aching love for her or for his continuous drunken stupor since the funeral was up for debate. _

_ Bruce ducked a flying vase, his bet was on the drunken stupor. Granted he was the one that killed her, but he was really sick of blamed for it when no one even thought she died of foul play. Although that might be due to the fact that Gothom PD wasn't exactly made of the best and brightest, but that Detective Gordon fellow seemed to be pretty sharp. His musings were cut short when a fist collided with his stomach. _

_ "You worthless bastard! She's dead because of you!" the large man kicked the boy into the wall, alcohol clinging to his poignant breath._

_ Bruce coughed, clutching his side, he really should have killed his Uncle first. Speak of the devil, he was choking him._

_ Bruce felt the man's large hand close around his windpipe, his sight was fading, he was dying. A part of Bruce almost welcomed the oblivion, but he did not want to die this way. He did not want to die by this bastard's hand, if he was to die it would be on his terms!_

_ Before he lost consciousness, Bruce kicked. He was released from the python grip, gasping for breath with blue tinged lips and red, bruised neck. His Uncle was still standing, that would not do._

_ Bruce kicked again and again and again, landing a final punch to his tormentor's face. Knocking the man down, down, down the grand stair case. The man crashed and turned on every step, finally rolling to a stop at the bottom, blood pooling around his head._

_ Breathing heavily, blue eyes widened in adrenaline and fear and relief, the bastard that tortured him was dead, now all that was left was to clean up the mess._

_ * '911, what's your emergency?' *_

_:D__**Gordon's POV**__:D_

_ Jim cleaned his glasses the third time in ten minutes, this was the second time he had found himself in the Wayne Manor this month, and that was two times to many. He observed the boy that sat in front of him, poor kid. First his parents, then his aunt, and tonight his uncle. He sighed, might as well get this over with, "So Bruce, could you tell me what happened?"_

_ The boy blinked owlishly at him, hands trembling, voice quiet, "S-sure. Um… my Uncle was a – drinking, and he – he wasn't very steady on his feet. I thought he would be fine, you know I thought he was just going to bed, he was already upstairs… I mean there was no reason he would be near the stairs in the first place, but he – fell." The boy began to shake, ice blue eyes watering with emotion, "I ran to him as soon as I heard the crash, I saw the blood and looked for a pulse… I couldn't find it."_

_ "So then you called us," the boy nodded, Jim sighed, he had no idea how to comfort the kid, he could only keep replaying the fateful night he first met the child. The night the boy's parents were murdered in front of the child. "I am sorry for your loss, is there anyone that you know you can stay with?"_

_ At first it seemed like the boy was going to shake his head, but suddenly a spark of life ignited in his dead blue eye, "If you can find an Alfred Pennyworth, I know he will take care of me."_

_:D:D:D_


End file.
